Archives for August 2019

Bruichladdich / 2010 Bere Barley.

Summary: 

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland/Islay.

CATEGORY: Single Malt.

DISTILLERY: Bruichladdich.

BOTTLER: Distillery Bottling.

BOTTLING SERIE: Bere Barley.

VINTAGE: 2010

BOTTLED: 2019

NUMBER OF BOTTLES: 18000

STRENGTH: 50% Vol.

Bere Barley is a six-row heritage variety that has long since been forgotten from the modern world of standardised whisky making. Its revival into present day has taken effort and resilience from an entire network of millers, growers and agronomists.

The Bere project is dedicated to those like-minded souls, who have preserved a legacy and found modern applications in flavourful food and drinks, whatever the odds. This Bruichladdich Bere Barley was distilled in 2010 from a 2009 harvest, brought home by Peter, John, Magnus, Sydney and Duncan on the Orkney Islands.

NOSE: At first the nose is dominated by cereal, porridge oats, malty notes but quickly followed by intense fruit, ripe pear and peaches in syrup, lemon meringue pie. There is a fresh breezy quality like fresh linen. The oak brings honey, vanilla, coconut and hints of cinder toffee and fudge. As time opens this unique dram up, the peach notes become all enveloping and anything else is had to find.

TASTE: Back to the malted barley on the palate, the texture is like honey, rich and incredibly viscous. A range of sweet fruit and oak notes jostle for position, peaches in syrup again, honey, chocolate, cinder toffee and apricot jam, there is an amazing sweetness from the oak and malt that is unlike any other spirit we make, the Bere barley gives so much intensity of flavour and the spirit has drawn deep from the wood in the last eight years.

FINISH: On the finish there is an air of gentle grace as the softness of the fruit continues, pear and apple come through with the peach notes and offer another dimension. The oak and malt fade away slowly and leave you to contemplate an incredible experience.

CHARACTER: An absolute delight to behold, from the outstanding texture to the intensity of the fruit, this ancient grain yet again confirms our barley exploration is based on distillation for flavour not yield. This particular vintage has an intensity and range of flavour I have seldom seen before but inspires us yet again to continue our journey.

Bruichladdich / 2011 Islay Barley.

Summary: 

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland/Islay.

CATEGORY: Single Malt.

DISTILLERY: Bruichladdich.

BOTTLER: Distillery Bottling.

BOTTLING SERIE: Coull, Cruach, Island, Mulindry, Rockside and Starchmill

VINTAGE: 

BOTTLED: 2018

CASK TYPE: .

STRENGTH: 50% Vol.

The Islay barley series has always been a mission. For many years now they have sought to showcase the phenomenon of “terroir” in single malt whisky – the belief that soil, climate, micro-climate, geographic orientation, natural influences and local weather systems will influence the quality and flavour profile of the spirit, making it a unique expression of ‘place’. Bruichladdich Islay barley 2011 is distilled from barley grown on six western and central Islay farms in 2010.

CHARACTER: A sweet spot in the maturation of an incredible whisky. A chance to see the elements at work as the young spirit showing green fruits, apple, pear and gooseberry transitions to peach, apricot and mango with the influence of time. The careful selection of casks holds this moment perfectly in balance as their contribution to the ageing of the spirit brings oak depth, vanilla and coconut sweetness and lemon/grapefruit zest without overpowering the sweetness of the malt or the profound cereal notes that come from the Islay grown barley. The structure is firm, the texture luxurious, carrying the DNA of this island.

COLOUR: Fresh Cut Straw.

NOSE: From the outset this is overtly floral and fruity. Slow distillation yet again brings out the best from the Islay grown Barley, the abundance of soft fruit notes and delicate floral style of this dram is shared with our past Islay grown releases. Typical Bruichladdich style fruit notes of crisp apple and ripe pear along with peach and dried apricot are further enhanced with lemon drops, grapefruit and orange zest. There is a vast array of flavour rising from this whisky as it opens further. The oak and cereal components come through after the fruit, pipe tobacco and vanilla notes mingle with barley sugar and caramel wafers, as ever a distinct marine tang hangs in the air.

FINISH: The finish is about the fruit, dried apricot from the oak and lemon, kiwi and caramel wafer. A warm sand, marine note lingers as the Islay maturation tells its part of the story. As this whisky lingers on the palate it puts you in mind of the construction and structure to its form. Each element, distillation, time, cask and barley have a clear influence yet not one dominates another as this whisky reaches a crossroads in its development. This vintage is at the perfect stage to appreciate all that it is as it lays bare its DNA, its philosophy and its quality.

Matsui Shuzou / The Kurayoshi 12 Year Old.

Summary: 

COUNTRY/REGION: Japan.

CATEGORY: Blended Malt.

DISTILLERY: Matsui Shuzo.

BOTTLER: Distillery Bottling.

BOTTLING SERIE: Pure Malt Whisky.

BOTTLED: 2018

AGE: 12 Years Old.

ABV: 43% Vol.

The aroma of nuts and almonds is followed by a rich malty texture, with hints of vanilla and raisins, accompanied by a faint smoky flavour in perfect balance with the sweetness, bitterness and acidity of this vintage.

Tomintoul / With a Peaty Tang.

Summary: 

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland/Speyside.

CATEGORY: Single Malt.

DISTILLERY: Tomintoul.

BOTTLER: Distillery Bottling.

STRENGTH: 40% Vol.

Tomintoul distillery was founded by the whisky broking firms W&S Strong and Hay & MacLeod. In 1974, the number of stills were doubled from 2 to 4, when its first single malt was marketed. For a number of years Tomintoul Single Malt was renowned for its perfume shaped bottle. The distillery is 8 miles from Tomintoul village which is used by walkers and climbers as a base camp.

NOSE: takes me back to my early teens, spending schooldays working on a farm: pure farmyard with an earthy yet fruity punch. The sort of complex nose that almost makes you forget to drink the stuff…almost…;

TASTE: a gentle coating of vaguely sweet peat that multiplies in intensity; salivating yet chewy. Some liquorice and hickory notes make their drying mark;

FINISH: distinctly gristy and unusually dry for a smoky malt. Long, luscious and not a little oaky late on;

BALANCE: a bit more than a tang, believe me! Faultlessly clean distillate that revels in its unaccustomed peaty role. The age is confusing and appears mixed, with both young and older traits being evident.

AWARDS: 94 Points – Jim Murray's 2016 Whisky Bible.

Compass Box / Hedonism The Muse.

Summary: 

COUNTRY/REGION: Scotland.

CATEGORY: Blended Grain.

BOTTLER: Compass Box (CB).

BOTTLING SERIE: Limited Edition.

BOTTLED: 02.2018

NUMBER OF BOTTLES: 3060

STRENGTH: 53.3 % Vol.

SIZE: 700 ml.

The original Hedonism – Their first ever bottling – explored a brave new world of flavour previously uncharted in the world of Scotch. The world’s first Blended Grain Scotch Whisky, it was a whisky so unique that it created its own category.

Hedonism will always mean something extra to us and in the years following the original release in 2000, Compass Box have returned to the Hedonism concept on three further occasions – Hedonism Maximus, Hedonism 10th Anniversary and Hedonism Quindecimus.

They recently stumbled upon a single cask of exceptional aged grain whisky in the style of Hedonism and they knew it was time to revisit the concept for a 5th time.

Sometimes, the character of a single cask of whisky will stir our minds and inspire us to complement it to create something even more compelling. That is the case with this limited edition Hedonism whisky. We call it The Muse.

The name refers to the exceptional cask we discovered — a vatting of very old grain whiskies from different distilleries, combined many years ago and left to age together in American oak. The sellers of this cask did not know the provenance of the distilleries, but that didn’t matter to us. Its taste was remarkable, with great depth, and very much in the spectrum of flavours — honey, vanilla, pastry cream — of a Hedonism whisky.

The Muse is also a nod to the woman portrayed at the centre of our Hedonism labels – the first woman, as far as we know, ever to feature on a Scotch whisky label and the image we featured on our first-ever bottling.

Women make up the majority of our team here at Compass Box, which is unusual in our industry. This diversity of perspective makes us, I believe, a better business.

John Glaser, Whiskymaker.

TASTING NOTES: Aromas and flavours reminiscent of vanilla, marzipan and honey.  Full on the palate, round and with a very sweet impression.  Very long finish that echoes the vanilla and marzipan.